and to some the romance had worn off. To some walking all day in the wet snow had made their feet so sore that they were unable to walk, much less continue the march; and some were nearly blind from the effects of the bright sun on the snow. Those who were suffering from either cause were discharged. Those who had not lost any Indians quietly remained and did not join the command when the order to march was given by the commanding officer next morning.

The third day was bright and warm, and our way lay across the prairie in the direction of McKnight's Point. Travelling as we were nearly parallel with the west branch of the Des Moines river, we were frequently crossing the heads of small streams and ravines, all of which were level full with the drifted snow.

When one of these was reached the command halted, and all were put in line to tramp a road across. If the depression was not too deep, after going over this several times until the snow was well packed, the teams by the help of the men could cross; but we found several where the ravine was deep and the snow frozen fifteen to twenty feet deep, and on these nɔ amount of tramping we could do would make a road that would bear the teams and wagons, and our only way was to tramp the road as well as we could, separate the horses, lead them over, then convey the loads across, and by fastening our long ropes to the empty wagons drag them through, the snow frequently gathering so deep and hard in front of the wagons, that we would have to shovel it out and then with the teams and men with long ropes drag them across, load up and go on until we found another similar obstruction. Early in the afternoon it became apparent that we would not be able to reach the timber at McKnight's Point. Capt. Duncombe, Lieut. Maxwell and R. W. Wheelock were sent ahead to look out a road, and if possible get to timber and water; they succeeded in reaching the point late in the evening, being assisted by some settlers living there, who hearing their guns came to their assistance, and made beacon fires for any that might still be out. The main body, tired out with the hard day's work, wet and hungry, went into camp when it became so dark that it was impossible to keep our direction, on a ridge where the snow had blown off. Here, in the freezing wet, with such rations as we had, we spent the night, with no camp-fires or

As soon as daylight appear

water except from melted snow. ed in the morning we started and reached Evans' Claim, and went into camp soon after noon, having made six miles. Here we found Capt. Duncombe and others, who had arrived the previous night, the Captain suffering much from neuralgia and an overdose of medicine taken when exhausted, before getting in the previous night, which proved to be mostly laudanum.

It was determined to go no further that day, but to give the men a rest, and cook up sufficient provisions to last the next day. Here several men turned back being unable to endure the hardships of the march.

We

The next morning the command started early, and by hard and constant work reached Shippey's at dark. At McCormick's a mile below Shippey's we found McBane, Ex-Gov., C. C. Carpenter, Wm. P. Pollock and Andrew Hood, who joined Co. “A," and went on with us from that point. also found at Shippey's a part of a load of flour which a Mr. Luce had left some weeks before, having got this far, where the deep snow had rendered it impossible to get his load farther, he had taken what he could haul on a hand sled and gone on to his family at the Lakes. With this we replenished our meagre supplies, and the next day reached the Irish Colony in Palo Alto County, where we were able to get some hay for a bed and sleep under the cattle sheds.

Our teams being nearly worn out we got an ox team here to help us along, and started out in the morning, first having sent an advance guard. Nothing having been heard from the settlement above, it was feared that the Indians had destroyed them, and would follow down the river and reach Mud Lakes at night. About noon that day, the advance saw on the prairie in the distance a number of persons moving slowly, stopping and consulting, evidently having discovered us, each party fearing the other was Indians, until it was discovered that there were women and children in the party and an ox team, when the men at once suspected they were a party of settlers, and went to them and found that they were the sole survivors of the settlement at Springfield, Minnesota, a small settlement on the Des Moines, a few miles north of the state line, which had been attacked by the same band of Indians which had destroyed the entire colony at the Lakes a few days before; and all but this party which had escaped in

the night had been murdered. They were a very dilapidated looking party. First was an ox team with Mr. Thomas and Miss Swanger and Mr. Carver, both wounded in the fight at Springfield, driven by the only able-bodied man in the party. This was followed by Mr. Wm. Church carrying one child and leading another, by the women and children, wet, hungry, cold and nearly exhausted, having been for two nights and nearly two days on the prairie without fire or food except a little raw corn, and I doubt very much if all or any had lived to reach the colony, but for this accidental meeting.

The men at once divided all the cooked rations with the sufferers. The surgeon, Dr. C. A. Bissell, did all in his power to alleviate the suffering of the wounded. On consultation it was determined to go to the nearest timber some two miles distant and camp for the night. The men built good fires, improvised a tent from blankets, and made them as comfortable as possible. The surgeon dressed the wounds, and the party obtained some much needed rest. Not knowing but that the Indians might be in the vicinity, guards were placed in all directions around the camp, which, the night being dark. and the men nearly worn out, were changed hourly; with which and keeping up a supply of wood for the fires but little rest was obtained by the men. We sent the rescued party back under charge of the surgeon in the morning, to the Irish Colony, and resumed our march, hoping to overtake the Indians at Springfield, having learned from Mrs. Church, one of the party, that the Wood Bros. store contained many things that would detain the Indians, and that probably they would find whiskey enough to keep them drunk for several days. There was no incident to break the monotony of the march, and on the evening of the next day we arrived at Grangers' Point near the state line, where we found one of the Grangers and a boy occupying a small cabin. They treated us with indifference, in fact we could get but little information from them, and no assistance. They said they had no food, and locked up the cabin, showing the most inhospitable spirit of any pioneers it has ever been my fortune to meet. We did learn from them that the troops from Fort Ridgeley had been down to Springfield two days before, and had sent a detachment over to the Lakes, but had been to only one place up on Spirit Lake, and found one body which they had buried, and then returned to the Fort on

account of the bad weather and roads and a short supply of rations.

From this we determined that pursuit of the Indians would be useless even had it been possible, but we had subsisted for two day on slap jacks made from flour and water with neither salt nor anything to make them light, with barely enough ham to grease the pan in which they were fried.

We managed to spend a very uncomfortable night, it taking till very late to cook enough slap jacks to go around, and many of the men preferred to lie down and rest to cooking them, but knowing the necessity of eating, I insisted on all my company taking their coffee and slap jacks, and cooked far into the night until all had been supplied.

A consultation of the officers was had during the night, and it was determined to send six or eight men from each company, if they would volunteer, with all the provisions we could spare to the Lakes to make a thorough examination and bury the dead. In the morning the command was all drawn up, and volunteers called for for that purpose. Capt. Johnson of Co. "C," who lost his life on this trip and myself with Lieut. Maxwell of Co. C., Privates, Henry Carse, Wm. Burkholder, Wm. N. Ford, J. H. Dailly, O. C. Howe, Geo. P. Smith, O. S. Spencer, C. Stebbins Stancleave, R. W. Wheelock, R. A. Smith, and, B. F. Parmenter of Co. "A" Jessie Addington, R. McCormick, J. M. Thatcher, W. N. Wilson, James Murray and A. E. Burtch of Co. "B;" with Wm. Laughlin and E. D. Kellogg of Co. "C," volunteered for this trip and constituted the party.

The Spirit Lake detachment having cooked a couple of days rations, and selected such bedding and clothing as could be carried by each man, assisted by my Indian pony, were ready to start by nine in the morning, the main body having started on the return trip an hour before. On coming to the river we found a channel open in the middle and the water very high, but by getting a log across the men were able to get over, but after spending nearly an hour it was found impossible to get the pony across, and as time was important I turned over the command to Capt. Johnson; divided the load on the pony among the men; gave to Wm. Burkholder of my company and one of my intimate personal friends, who with Lieut. Stratton had shared the same blankets with me since starting, my rations and a veil to protect his face and eyes, and

a small shawl, bid him good bye, little thinking it would be forever. He was a young man of rare promise, educated, . brave, generous, unselfish. He volunteered for this expedition, knowing that it would be a great personal sacrifice, having been nominated by the Republicans of his county, as their candidate for Treasurer and Recorder, and knowing that his absence during the election might and probably would result in his defeat, but he never gave it a thought. His patriotism and his manhood called, and he went to lay down his young life that he might protect his fellow citizens and their frontier homes from the merciless savage.

Being unable to get the pony across the river, and the entire command having been some two hours on the return march, there was no one to take the pony back. I was obliged to follow and overtake the main body before night, which I did before they left the midday camp. We camped for the night at a trapper's small cabin at Mud Lakes, where we now found the frozen carcasses of some beaver, which we tried to cook to piece out our scanty rations. The excitement and hope of accomplishing some good having ceased, all were anxious to get where they would find food and rest. Many were footsore, and many had entirely worn out their boots, and all were nearly tired out with the constant exposure, poor food, and hard marching through the melting snow and water. I shall always remember the night we spent at this place. Geo. W. Brazee, a young lawyer, a member of my company, had been suffering from tooth-ache, he had thrown away his heavy boots having left them too near the camp fire when wet, shrinking them so that when he found them they were useless. He had put on the only ones he had left, a light pair, and marching all day in the melting snew and water had made his feet so sore that he could only relieve them by cutting holes in many places in the boots. Several of our company built a fire in one corner of the trapper's cabin and spread our blankets on the dirt floor to sleep, but poor Brazee could not get his boots off, and fearing if he cut them so that he could, he would have nothing to keep his feet from the ground, and as the pain in his feet was relieved his tooth reminded him that it needed his attention, and after lying down and trying to sleep, frequently reiterating the fact that he knew he would die, he gets up, goes out and gets a hind quarter of beaver, and begins to roast it over the